Friday, March 24, 2017

Review: Evertrue by Brodi Ashton

***Spoiler Alert...I do not mention any spoilers from Evertrue (book 3 in the series), but if you haven't finished Everbound (book 2) there are some spoilers and you probably shouldn't proceed.***

Evertrue is the third and final book in the Everneath series and picks up where book two left off. Nikki and Jack are now on a mission to destroy the Everneath and restore Nikki's mortality. They have one major problem. Nikki has to rely on Cole to feed her every night or she will lose her energy and die. Even that is a short term solution to her problems. She has about a week to discover how to destroy the Everneath or she will be forced to choose between feeding on a forfeit for a century or allowing herself to die. They also hove no idea how to defeat the shades and the current queen.

I was shocked by a major twist that took place in this book. Cole and his band disappear one evening and their condo is ransacked. When Cole reappears, he isn't the same. He is speaking like he is from the early 1900's with an ancient vocabulary and a strange accent. I don't want to give away any spoilers, but Nikki and Jack decide to use this to their advantage.

We see a much different side of Cole in this book. Personally, I liked the overly confident version of him better. This version; however, did allow the reader to connect with him on a new level. Even Nikki couldn't help but feel sorry for him.

Jack, on the the other hand, is now a version of the Hulk... or Hercules if we are going to use the mythological equivalent. He somehow grew in size and strength when he freed himself from the Everneath. In addition, he now has a very short temper. Every time Nikki and Cole were together I pictured him clenching his fists (which is constantly mentioned in the book) and turning into the Hulk before he went into one of his rages. It came in handy at times, but for the most part he was a bit annoying. I would have selected the old Cole over him any day.

The ending wasn't much of a surprise, but there were some repercussions I didn't see coming. I wish there could have been a happily ever after for everyone, but I guess that was never in the cards. I was satisfied with how Brodi tied up the series and thoroughly enjoyed my time with these characters.